Page 10 of Spring's Descent
“And what happens when she does appear?” he asked, sounding like he already knew the answer. He shifted from foot to foot, shooting me a cautious glance. “She’ll need to be eased into things, Hades. It’s not her fault she’s been lied to her whole life.”
I knew he was right, but the gripping numbness of death magic had yet to fade… and couldn’t find a way to connect to whatever empathy remained in my twisted soul. There was only one thought on my mind. A single need driving me forward.
“When my little witch finally reveals herself, I plan on showing her who she belongs to.”
6
PERSEPHONE
“I have the perfect dress.”Lark sprang up from the couch, the wine making her movements wobbly. The tea cups clamored against the wooden surface as her shins hit the edge of the table. “Gods above. Sorry Rae. I’ll get another tea before we go.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I headed to the small cabinet to grab towels. “I’m betrothed now, remember? It’s not like I’ll be sleeping with anyone. Cyrus and Mother have no doubt spread the word that I’m off limits.”
Lark knelt beside me, taking one of the towels to help mop up the mess.
“I’m off limits,” I repeated, my hand stilling around the wet cloth.
“Rae?” Lark asked, lifting a brow. “What is it?”
“The stableboy, Ollie?—”
“Owen.”
“Yeah, Owen. He was my last fuck. And it wasterrible.” I threw my head back with a groan as the reality of my future sank in.
A drunken laugh escaped her. “I told you, you had to be on top. He may not know what he’s doing, but he’s not bad to look at.”
Agree to disagree.
“You probably scared the poor guy.”
“Hardly.” I huffed, gathering the damp towels and placing them in the laundry bin. “He offered to marry me before Cyrus showed up.”
“He did?” Lark asked, her eyes swirling with that far-off look she got when she was hatching a plan.
“Don’t get too excited. My mother shut him down and Cyrus confirmed I’m not to be touched.”
“Shit. Why does it have to be Cyrus?”
“I don’t know,” I breathed, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My fingers closed around the fire opal at the end of the gold chain, wishing I’d have the chance to claim a real conducting stone from the caverns of The Crystal City when the first tendrils of my power manifested, like every earth witch had done centuries before.
Just another thing to grieve.
“This is all I am, Lark. A tool to be used by Cyrus. A lump of clay to be shaped by my mother. A sacrifice to the goddess for the good of our coven.”
“Thisis not all that you are, Rae.” Lark grasped my hands, forcing me to meet her gaze. “This prison, that bitch of a High Matriarch, your fucking betrothed—all of itwill be a bad memory one day. We’re getting out of here.”
“Of course,” I said, not quite selling my false bravado. We’d made that promise to each other so many times in the last four years. I wondered when it started tasting like a lie.
“There may be a lot of things out of our control, but tonight isn’t one of them,” Lark said, dragging me toward the closet. “Let’s make it a night to remember.”
“Looking good, Rae,”Lark smiled, before returning to fine-tuning the soft, umber curls falling perfectly falling past her shoulders. Her hazel eyes looked over her makeup, searching for any imperfection and finding nothing. I wasn’t even sure why she bothered with powder. Her dark skin was flawless.
Not for the first time, I scrutinized the heavy spattering of freckles across my own face, their presence made only more pronounced from countless hours I’d spent in the sun. I knew it wasn’t healthy, but I couldn’t help but compare how Lark’s dark skin was smooth, her nose sleek and strong, while mine was slightly upturned. My pale pink lips were lacking compared to the natural rose-colored hue of hers, and despite my nagging insecurities telling me to be thinner, I envied the roundness to her bust and hips. I was warm tones and sharp edges, while Lark was soft angles and bold lines—beautiful in a deadly sort of way.
And powerful. She’d survived her awakening just before Mother forced her to join us four years ago. Despite her servant status, Lark was important. She just had something about her that made others want to trust her. To listen to her. Sometimes I wondered if that was the real reason Mother punished her.
“Stop looking at me like that, Rae. You’re making me blush.”